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The Academy of American Poets is the largest membership-based nonprofit organization fostering an appreciation for contemporary poetry and supporting American poets. For over three generations, the Academy has connected millions of people to great poetry through programs such as National Poetry Month, the largest literary celebration in the world; Poets.org, the Academy’s popular website; American Poets, a biannual literary journal; and an annual series of poetry readings and special events. Since its founding, the Academy has awarded more money to poets than any other organization.

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Caroline Knox earned her AB from Radcliffe College and her MA and PhD from University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. She is the author of several books of poetry, most recently To Drink Boiled Snow (Wave Books, 2015), Flemish (Wave Books, 2013), and Nine Worthies (Wave Books, 2010).

C. D. Wright called Knox “a most inquisitive poet who relishes living inside her expansive vocabulary; one who has been faxing by the midnight oil while so many others were dipping their quills into dry sockets. Caroline Knox reminds us how whangy and interesting it all is.”

Knox is the recipient of grants from The Fund for Poetry, the Ingram Merrill Foundation, the Massachusetts Cultural Council, and the National Endowment for the Arts, among others. She lives in Massachusetts.

by this poet

You see them through water and glass,
(both liquids) and through air
with plenty of liquid in it
—water is moving through the air—
you see the large dolphins animated,
unfractious in their native
drink, going
back and forth interacting with
some sort of rings—in a minute-long video—
in a loop, we see these

I packed up the books: Under
Milk Wood, Of
Mice and Men, Under
the Window, Under
the Volcano, Up
from Slavery, The Thunder-
ing Herd, Under
the Greenwood Tree, The Over-
Coat, The Changing Light at Sandover,
Under-
world, Out
of Africa, Paris Trout;
and I went over
to the Under-
woods' house over
on

His heart keeps him awake while he's asleep.
He listens to his heart while he falls asleep in bed.
His artificial heart gives him insomnia.
As long as I can hear the sound, I know I'm here.
His heart keeps him alive while he's asleep.
My heart helps me to sleep while I'm alive.
Oh, patient, this Valentine is